Gravity-motor.



No. 702,086. P t'm-eqlune I0, I902. w. 0. BENNER. GRAVITY lla'ron.

Application filed June 28, 1901..

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMJO. BENNER, OF LEHIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

G'RAV lTY MOTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 702,086, dated June10, 1902.

I Application filed June 28, 1901. $erial No. 66,425. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, WILLIAM 0. BENNEa'acitizen of the United States,residin g at Lehighton, in the county ofCarbon, State of Penn sylvania, have invented certain new and usef 111Improvements in Gravity-Motors and Mo hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention,suchas'will-enable others'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to gravity-motors and it has forits obj cot toprovide an apparatus wherein a weight may be raisedto a suitableelevation and then'permitted to descend, so

that the energy thereof may be utilized forsawing wood, for-churning, orfor any other purpose where power is required.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the severalviews,Figure 1 is aside elevation showing the complete machine. .Fig. 2is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing the arrangement of thegearing with the governor and brake mechanism. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section through the weight-box.

Referring now to the drawings,the mechanism is mounted upon asuitablebase 5 and comprises atower or frame, including parallel uprights 6 ofan gle-plates, the sides of which are connected by cross-pieces 7 toform a rectangular frame, and the uppermost cross-pieces support a shaft8, on which is disposed a pulley-wheel 9. One end of a cable 10 isattached to a bale 11 of a weight-box 12,while the opposite end of thecable is attached to a windingdrum 13, carried by a drum-shaft14,mountedin bearings in suitable supports, as shown. The cable between its endsis passed over the pulley and downward through a guide-passage 14,formed through the bottom of the weight-box and havingupwardly-extending walls in the form of a flattened tube,so that thecable may have a lateral movement through the weight-box as it is woundupon or unwound fromthe winding-drum. If the winding-drum is rotated,thecable will be wound thereonto raise the weight-box, and if the drumbe then released the box will descend and by its descent will unwind thecable from the drum to rotate the latter. The drum is mounted looselyupon its shaft and at one end "ofthesupports of the shaft.

thereof is a gear-wheel15, having a pawl 16, pivoted thereon inoperative relation with a ratchet-wheel 17, fixed upon the drum-shaft,the pawl being held in engagement with the ratchet-wheel by means .of aspring 18. A winding-shaft. 19 is provided and is mounted bothforrotatable'and sliding movement in bearings upon the base and carriesa pinion 20' for engagement with'the gear of the winding-drum. Thepinion is held normally out of engagement with the gear by means of ahelical spring 22upon the winding-shaft, one end thereof bearingagainsta shoulder on the shaft, while the other end bears against one HBy pressing the winding' shaft against the tendency of the spring itwill be engaged with the gear on the drum, and by then rotating it thedrum will be rotated to wind up the cable and raise the weight-box.

The pawl=and=ratchet arrangement permits of rotation of the drum inde-.pendentlyof the shaft to wind up the cable;

but reverse movement of the drum can be made only with the shaft.

Fixed upon the drum-shaft 14 and at the opposite side of the drum fromthe gear-wheel 15 is a master-gear 24, which engages with a pinion 25 ona shaft 26, this pinion having also a gear 27 engaged therewith, whichis mounted upon a shaft 28, carrying a bandwheel 29, from which leads aband 30 to one member 31 of a cone-pulley, mounted on the power or driveshaft 32', the second and larger member 32 of which is adapted toreceive a belt to drive any mechanism that is to be operated.

The pinion 25, above referred to, forms an element'of a second train ofgearing, which includes a gear 33, mounted on the pinionshaft, and whichthrough the medium of the pinions 36 and 37 and 38 and the gears 39 and40 rotates the governor-shaft 41, which car= ries the pinion 38, thisgovernor-shaft being rotated with a high rate of speed, The governorconsists of a disk 42, which is fixed upon the shaft 41, and aseconddisk 43, which is mounted slidably upon the shaft,

able plate in the direction of the fixed plate, as will be understood.Mounted slidably upon the shaft 41 is a sleeve 48, having radiating arms49 and 50, which extend radially of the movable plate, adjacent to oneface thereof, and the ends of these arms are bent around the edge of themovable plate and then inwardly to lie parallel with the opposite facethereof, and these ends are provided with brake-shoes 51 in the path ofmovement of the movable disk, so that when the disk is drawn along theshaft ll it will bear against the brake-shoes with a pressure dependingupon the centrifugal action of the weights and which action is of coursecommensurate with the speed of rotation of the shaft. In this way thespeed of rotation of the shaft is governed and therewith the speed ofthe winding-drum and the speed of the driving cone-pulley. The sleevethat carries these brake shoes may be shifted to apply the brakes tostop the apparatus by shifting the lever 53, which is pivoted upon astandard, as shown, and which has a yoke 5i at one end, which embracesand is pivoted to the shaft. It will thus be seen that the speed ofrotation of the apparatus is governed, and it will be understood thatthe lever referred to may be employed for both stopping the mechanismand releasing it to permit it to operate.

\Vith this construction it will be seen that cone-pulleys of varioussizes may be employed and that pulleys 29 of different sizes may beemployed to get dilferent speeds of the power-shaft 32 without requiringadjustment of the governor mechanism, which adjustment would be requiredif the governor were driven from the shaft 32.

It will be understood that in practice modifications of the specificconstruction shown may be made and that any suitablematerials andproportions maybe used for the various parts without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. Adevice of the class described comprising apotential device including a windingdrum, a drive-shaft operativelyconnected with the drum, a governor for the potential device operativelyconnected with the drum and means for actuating the governor manually tostop and release the mechanism.

2. A device of the class described comprising a potential deviceincluding a windingdrum, a drive-shaft operatively connected with thedrum, a governor for the potential device including anautomatically-shiftable brake member, a brake-shoe in the path ofmovement of the shiftahle member, and means for manually moving theshoe' into and out of engagement with the shiftable member to stop andrelease the mechanism.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, on the 29th day of April, 1901 WILLIAM O. BENNER.

Witnesses:

SILAs N. RHOADS, EDWIN M. KooNs.

